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Ong arrives in
starting lineup
The sophomore has earned a
prominent role with Hawaii
It is far better to have no expectations and exceed them than to have high expectations and never come close to touching them.
That was Kelly Ong's attitude when walking on to the Hawaii women's volleyball program in 2003. Tonight, she'll walk out of the tunnel and onto the Stan Sheriff Center court wearing No. 14 as the fourth-ranked Rainbow Wahine open their home season against No. 7 Southern California.
It's been a lesson that perseverance, hard work and determination has paid off for the sophomore serving/defensive specialist from Oakland, Calif. It's been a journey from a call asking if she'd be a walk-on with no guarantee of money or uniform, to red-shirting in 2003, to being in the starting lineup last week in the opener against No. 1 Nebraska, and serving Hawaii's first serve of the new season.
"I got to start the first game of the season, I couldn't believe it," said Ong, closer to 5-foot-3 than her listed 5-5. "Being part of this team ... I always knew that it would be awesome but I never thought I would play. I never thought I'd do anything but suit up and stand on the sidelines for four years. The highlight of my life was getting my jersey. When I got my nameplate for my locker, I said, 'This is the best day of my life.'
"The feeling hasn't changed. It's been way more than what I expected. And I've got three more years."
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It was a surprise to many -- including Ong -- that she would start last Friday. But it made sense for those who saw Ong serve 10 straight points in the NCAA second-round match against Purdue last December.
At 19-18, Ong had two aces in a 10-0 run during Game 3 that helped close out the match against the Boilermakers and send the Wahine to Green Bay against Wisconsin.
"She's our best server off the bench," Hawaii coach Dave Shoji said. "She's got a real good serve and, against Nebraska, I thought we could get a couple of points to start from her. It didn't work out but that was the reasoning.
"She forces things with her serve. That's her role."
One for which Ong is very thankful. Had associate coach Charlie Wade not called to ask if she'd consider walking on, Ong would be playing for either Arkansas, Graceland or Christian Brothers.
But Hawaii always seemed to be in her future. She has family here. Ong's middle name is "Keokiana."
Her mother, the former Eileen Rogers, lived with relatives and graduated from Leilehua in the mid-1970s. She was a freshman at UH before returning to California following a car accident.
Ong even wears her mother's T-shirt from Mokihana, one of the campus dorms. It was Ong's mother who pushed her into volleyball and was her grammar school coach.
On one of the family's vacations here, Ong came to a Wahine volleyball camp.
"She asked about walking on," Wade said. "We stayed in contact, I watched her in tournaments. She had family here. We knew it would be an easy transition if she came.
"What I like is she's always in a good mood, which is an asset. She's just a very pleasant person to have around, always smiling. Your first impression is that she's a good kid. On the court, she goes hard, is a solid defender and is getting better every day."
"Kelly has an awesome personality," said sophomore middle Juliana Sanders, one of Ong's roommates. "She's very energetic and so much fun to be around. She keeps the energy flowing on the court."
Sanders is 6-2, nearly a foot taller than Ong. When the two are on a moped, "I look like I'm her little backpack," Ong said. "I never noticed the height difference until one day we were standing next to a mirror. I told Juliana, Kari (6-2 sophomore middle Gregory) and Sarah (6-3 junior hitter Mason) you guys are TALL.
"I've always been the smallest one in my class. My dad wanted me to play basketball but I thought I'd get trampled. I've never felt that small playing volleyball. I've always loved it."
Ong has a double major of communications and philosophy, a minor in women's studies, and a goal of a law degree. Career aspirations include becoming a sports agent, going into sports contract law or working in public relations for any of her beloved Bay Area teams: Oakland Raiders, A's and Golden State Warriors.
But that is the future. The present continues tonight with the home opener as Hawaii (0-2) goes for its first victory of the year.
"I love the spirit of Wahine volleyball," said Ong, who played briefly in 10 matches last season. "I've been waiting for this day for six months. Being part of this has been more than I've expected. And it's really just beginning."
Going, going ... : Twelve of the 40 new court-side seats remain unsold. There are eight front-row seats ($5,000 for two) and four second-row seats (two for $2,000) available.
The price includes season tickets, a parking pass for Lot 18 and food-order service. Food and drinks are not included. Part of the payment is tax deductible. For information, contact Kelvin Shoji at 956-4322.
Regular season tickets are still available. Close to 5,000 have been sold so far.
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www.hawaiiathletics.com
Penn State
outlasts USC
Penn State freshmen Nicole Fawcett and Christa Harmotto continue to impress in their first year of college.
Last night, Fawcett had a team-high 18 kills and Harmotto set a school record with 13 blocks (1 solo, 12 assist) to lead the Nittany Lions to a 30-23, 30-27, 27-30, 30-28 win over Southern California at the Stan Sheriff Center.
A crowd of 600 saw No. 5 Penn State (2-1) take 1 hour and 56 minutes in winning the Hawaiian Airlines Classic opener. It was the first time the Nittany Lions had defeated the Women of Troy in three meetings.
No. 7 USC (1-1) appeared poised to force a fifth game, taking a 28-27 lead in Game 4. But Penn State rallied behind Fawcett, who had three kills in the team's last four points.
The Women of Troy got 22 kills from Staci Venski, 17 from Diane Copenhagen and 16 from Candelas.
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